In recent years, a variety of prosthetic valves have been developed wherein a valve structure (e.g., tissue leaflets) is mounted on a metal stent and then delivered to a treatment site via a catheterization technique. Such transcatheter prosthetic valves may be self-expandable or balloon expandable. Balloon-expandable prosthetic valves are typically crimped from an initial large diameter to a smaller diameter prior to advancement to a treatment site in the body. Before crimping, a balloon expandable prosthetic valve is typically placed over an inflatable balloon on a catheter shaft. In cases where the prosthetic valve was manufactured in its fully crimped diameter, the prosthetic valve is expanded and then crimped on the balloon. Once delivered to the implantation site, the balloon can be inflated to expand the prosthetic valve to its fully functional size. Self-expanding prosthetic valves are typically also crimped to a smaller diameter, but are then inserted into a sheath. After placement in the body, the sheath is withdrawn, and the prosthetic valve expands inside the body.
A known type of crimping apparatus for crimping a prosthetic valve includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged moveable segments that define a variable diameter crimping aperture. When a prosthetic valve is placed in the crimping aperture, the moveable segments are moved radially inwardly to decrease the diameter of the crimping aperture, thereby radially compressing the prosthetic valve. Some prosthetic valves have protruding members or anchors that extend outwardly from the annular main body of the prosthetic valve. Such anchors may not be designed to be subjected to the crimping forces of the crimping apparatus, and in fact, do not need to crimped along with the main body of the prosthetic valve. Thus, it is desirable to achieve crimping of the main body of the prosthetic valve without subjecting the anchors that extend from the main body to any crimping forces and without exerting undue mechanical stresses on the anchors.